Via Habsburg

Certified "Cultural Route of the Council of Europe" in 2014

The House of Habsburg was one of the most influential royal houses of Europe. To a certain extent the history of the Habsburgs is also our history. From 996 to 1815 the personalities of this major dynasty had a decisive influence on history, as they helped to form the geography and the fate of Europe. Ententes and disputes, power struggles and territorial conquests, times of war and of peace… all divided peoples but also reunited them and formed bonds, which endure over time.

Heritage

The 800-year-old history of the Habsburgs is preserved in sites covering thousands of square kilometres in western and central Europe. Palaces, castles, magnificent churches, monasteries, abbeys and splendid museums show how this emblematic dynastic family shaped not only history but also art, transmitting the riches of the Renaissance and, at the time of its decline, provoking the modernist revolt.

Travelling today

70 sites and cities in four different countries and six regions invite the visitor to embark on a journey through timeless landscapes and extraordinary places. Throughout the Tyrol (Austria), Switzerland, Lake Constance, Black Forest (Germany) and Alsace and Lorraine regions (France) there are no fewer than 150 tourist destinations waiting to be discovered. So choose the route that most intrigues you!

Council of Europe values

From France to Austria, along some 1000 km, the Via Habsburg is a path of knowledge, sharing and friendship that builds relationships across borders and between nations. It pursues a civic and humanist objective by building links between different peoples of the continent and by promoting a shared history, of which the Habsburg legacy is an important part.